Across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., on the hills of Arlington, Virginia, rows of white headstones stretch in every direction. Arlington National Cemetery is the best-known military cemetery in the United States, and in the days before Memorial Day it becomes the setting for one of the most moving traditions of remembrance in the country.
How Arlington began
The land was once the estate of Arlington House, home to the family of Mary Anna Custis Lee, the wife of Robert E. Lee. Union forces occupied it early in the Civil War, and in 1864 the grounds began to be used as a military cemetery as the war’s dead overwhelmed burial sites around the capital.
In the century and a half since, Arlington has become the resting place of service members from every major American conflict, along with many of their families, as well as presidents, astronauts, Supreme Court justices and others who served the nation. It is administered by the U.S. Army.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
At the heart of the cemetery stands the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where unidentified service members are honored. The first Unknown, from World War I, was interred there in 1921. Since 1937, the Tomb has been guarded around the clock, every day of the year, in every kind of weather.
The sentinels are soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as The Old Guard, and they follow a precise ritual. A guard walks 21 steps along the mat, turns and pauses for 21 seconds, turns again and pauses for another 21 seconds, then walks back and repeats the sequence. The number echoes the 21-gun salute, one of the highest military honors. The precision is the point. It says that these losses deserve complete attention.
Flags In
Before Memorial Day each year, soldiers of The Old Guard carry out a tradition known as Flags In, placing a small American flag in front of each headstone across the cemetery. The work is done by hand, grave after grave, with each flag set carefully in place.
For families, finding a flag at a loved one’s grave is a sign that the nation has not forgotten. For visitors, the sight of so many flags at once makes the scale of sacrifice painfully visible.
What it asks of visitors
Arlington is an active cemetery, with funerals held most weekdays. Visitors are asked to treat it with quiet respect: speak softly, stay on paths, give funeral services their privacy and observe the silence requested at the Tomb. If you plan to visit, check arlingtoncemetery.mil for current hours, visitor rules and ceremony information.
Whether or not you ever walk its hills, Arlington offers a lesson about remembrance. Honoring the fallen is not only a matter of grand speeches. It is also a matter of steady, careful attention, the kind that shows up every day, sets every flag straight and refuses to let any name slip away. That kind of faithfulness is something all of us can practice in our own lives.
New messages, real moments from the road, and the All Is Well Project. Follow along and say hello.
The lessons behind everything Chris teaches. Start with three chapters, free.
Turn the lessons into your comeback.
Talk it through free with the Team Dorrity coach, or work with Chris one-on-one in The Better Than Back Experience.
